Policy Analysis

By Marcy Whitebook and Sharon Ryan NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 22, April 2011) Summary In this brief, authors Marcy Whitebook and Sharon Ryan argue that too much attention has been given to debating the baseline qualifications required of preschool teach

By Diane Schilder, Stephanie Kimura, Kim Elliott, and Stephanie Curenton NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 21, January 2011) Summary This policy brief examines the impact of state-funded pre-K expansion on the quality and supply of child care in New York and O

A Decade of Change: Early Education Enrollment and Expenditure Patterns 1995-2005 Early Childhood Care and Education: Enrollment Patterns and Expenditures Over the Decade 1995-2005 By Clive R. Belfield (December 2010) In these papers, author Clive Belf

By Shannon Riley-Ayers, Kwanghee Jung, and Ellen C. Frede (September 2010) This technical report from NIEER researchers on the Early Learning Scale, a performance-based assessment measure that uses student data collected through observation and work sa

New Jersey Preschool Expansion Assessment Research Study (PEARS) By Allison Friedman, Ellen Frede, Dale Epstein, Rachel Sansanelli, Debra Ackerman, and Judi Stevenson-Boyd (December 2009) NIEER researchers prepared this needs assessment of preschool pr

By Ellen Frede, Kwanghee Jung, W. Steven Barnett, and Alexandra Figueras (June 2009) The second in a series, this report discusses the results of a rigorous study of New Jersey’s Abbott Preschool Program. The study estimates the learning gains of child

By Debra J. Ackerman, W. Steven Barnett, Laura E. Hawkinson, Kirsty Brown and Elizabeth A. McGonigle NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 18, March 2009) Summary Over the last decade, state-funded preschool education programs have grown and now enroll more than o

By Kimberly Brenneman, Judi Stevenson-Boyd and Ellen C. Frede NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 19, March 2009) Summary High-quality preschool experiences can positively affect later math achievement, and mathematics skills at school entry are correlated with

By Debra J. Ackerman and W. Steven Barnett NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 20, March 2009) Summary Public support for the education and care of 3- and 4-year-olds has increased, but has this helped or hurt the provision of care for infants (children up to 12

by Steve Barnett and Ellen Frede, NIEER Co-directors NIEER Policy Brief (1/8/09) Summary At the request of the president-elect’s transition team, NIEER Co-directors W. Steven Barnett and Ellen Frede developed federal policy proposals, including suggest

By Ross A. Thompson NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 17, December 2008) Summary Over the last decade, news reports, policy statements, and commercial marketing have all contributed to the public’s understanding of early brain growth. While the most significan

By Lisa A. McCabe and Ellen C. Frede NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 16, December 2007) Summary Is there a rise in challenging behaviors among young children in early care and education? Is preschool a contributing factor or can it provide positive experienc

By W. Steven Barnett and Donald J. Yarosz NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 15, November 2007) Summary Preschool participation in the U.S. has been increasing steadily over the last four decades. By 2005, more than two-thirds of the nation’s 4-year-olds were e

The Abbott Preschool Program Longitudinal Effects Study (APPLES) by Ellen Frede, Kwanghee Jung, W. Steven Barnett, Cynthia Esposito Lamy, and Alexandra Figueras (June 2007) This report discusses the results of a rigorous study of New Jersey’s Abbott Pr

By Carl Sussman with Amy Gillman April 2007 Summary Much of the growth in early care and education can be attributed to research that shows the educational, social, and economic benefits of high-quality preschool education. As states’ efforts to provid

By Luis M. Laosa and Pat Ainsworth NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 13, March 2007) Summary While public preschool programs are expanding across the country, there is a lag in participation by the nation’s fastest growing and yet most educationally challenged

By Carl Sussman and Amy Gillman NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 14, April 2007) Summary Much of the growth in early care and education can be attributed to research that shows the educational, social, and economic benefits of high-quality preschool education

By Ellen Frede and Debra J. Ackerman NIEER Policy Brief (Issue 12, March 2007) Summary The educational effectiveness of preschool relies on a program’s curriculum, or the content of what children learn in preschool and how it is taught. Given the multi

By W. Steven Barnett and Clive R. Belfield NIEER Policy Report (October 2006) Summary This policy report examines the effects of preschool education on social mobility in the United States, noting that many current programs fail to enroll even half of